Guys this article appeared in the new copy of Michael O'Leary's Warbird's International.
the author is Graham Whitside and indicates that parts of Spitfire R7143 were found in a dump in Canada somewhere. I have been following the history of the 11 RCAF Spitfires in Canada during WWII and would like to find the source of the closing paragraph of Grahams one pages article:
Recently discovered Spitfire Components may finally reveal what happened to an early Spitfire - What Happened to TO R7143? By: Graham Whitside
“On September 10, 1944, the Spitfire(R7143) had another gear collapse and repairs were not completed until June 1945, at which time the spitfire was transferred to No. 9 Transport Group. An odd ball Spitfire had little place in the RCAF and in September 1947 it was transferred to RCNAS Dartmouth (who were flying Seafires) and became an instructional airframe although by the photographs it appears the spitfire was maintained in fine shape. From about 1950, the aircraft's fate is a bit of a mystery. One source states base personnel scrapped it while another has "fate unknown." Perhaps the few components found in a junkyard will solve the final fate of a most interesting spitfire.” WI
Page 34
DOES ANYONE KNOW GRAHAM AND HOW I CAN GET A HOLD OF HIM? PLS PM ME....
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